A.J. – Did you realize we are merely days away from the official end of winter? We, therefore, wanted to offer you one more comforting winter dessert before our food thoughts lean towards the bright, herbal and grassy flavor notes of spring. This recipe embodies many of my favorite winter flavors and fragrances…….roasted butternut squash, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, warm rum and toasted walnuts.…..pure comfort. Why not light one last fire and enjoy this buttery pound cake with a hot mug of coffee.
I always buy Grade B maple syrup. I love its’ concentrated maple flavor and it’s thickness and dark rich color. Grade B is most often used for cooking and baking, but I prefer it for all my maple syrup needs. I’ve added some maple sugar to the pound cake batter, just another way of sneaking in more maple goodness. If you’ve never used maple sugar, this is a great place to start. Maple sugar is made by cooking down maple sap until no moisture remains. It results in solid crystallized sugar blocks. The blocks are then ground into a granular product. I like to sprinkle maple sugar over scones just before baking and often use it as a topping for my oatmeal. I always buy locally produced maple products at my farmer’s market or at local farm stands.
- One large butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup dark rum
- The squash must be roasted and drained the day before you plan to bake the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash in a roasting pan cut side up. Add ¼-inch of water to bottom of pan. Place a piece of parchment paper over squash. Tightly cover roasting pan with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until squash is tender. Let cool, then scoop flesh into a bowl and discard the skin. Mash squash using a fork or potato masher; transfer to a strainer resting over a bowl. Allow squash to drain overnight in the refrigerator.
- The next day preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper or coat with butter and flour. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk until blended. Combine butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add light brown sugar and maple sugar; beat until blended. Add 1 cup of mashed squash and blend (remaining squash can be set aside for another use). Switch to the whisk attachment of the electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time while beating on medium speed. (The mixture may look curdled but will come together as you continue.) Scrape seeds from the vanilla pod and beat into mixture. Lower speed to medium-low and add flour mixture. Beat until fully blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 70-80 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.
- While cake is baking, toast walnuts in a small skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Combine maple syrup and dark rum in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat just until warm.
- Cool cake on a cooling rack 10 – 15 minutes. Unmold cake. Place a shallow pan or plate under cooling rack and return cake to rack. Use a wooden pick to poke holes into top of cake. Slowly drizzle half of the maple glaze over the cake allowing it to be absorbed. Combine remaining glaze with the toasted walnuts.
- Serve each slice of pound cake with a spoonful of maple glaze and walnuts.
